Estimating the global burden of antimicrobial resistance: Reflections on current methods and data needs

The prioritisation of policy action, research and the evaluation of progress towards curbing the threat of Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) is dependent on our knowledge of its burden.  The burden of AMR, like that of other causes of death and morbidity, is an important metric that not only provides the opportunity for generating and using data on periodic measures for timely and reliable updates on the prevailing disease situation and its potential to get better or worse, but also guides the development and positioning of interventions, including estimating the costs and benefits of interventions. The urgency with which AMR must be combatted as a global public health threat requires the need to determine and apply the most suitable methods, models and metrics for estimating the global burden of AMR to better inform decisions on how to best manage AMR.